Fleetwood promise 'special night' and unpredictable wind for Arsenal clash
Arsenal's trip to Highbury Stadium on Tuesday will have nothing to do with their old Islington home, but Fleetwood Town are determined to make the Carabao Cup fourth round tie memorable anyway. The League Two side are preparing a ground with a capacity of just 5,300, four parking spaces, and a reputation for unpredictable weather thanks to its position on the Fylde coast.
“It's definitely the biggest game we've hosted, the Premier League champions at Highbury,” Fleetwood assistant coach and club legend Nathan Pond told The Guardian. “I think it's just going to be a special night for everyone involved at the club.”
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
Fleetwood beat Championship side Sheffield United in the previous round at a venue that was less than half full, but Tuesday's visit from Mikel Arteta's side is expected to be the stadium's biggest football attendance ever, with only a fireworks display previously selling the ground out. Around 200 extra season tickets have been sold since the draw was made.
Conditions could play a part
With Storm Boelo having passed through, wind and rain are forecast for the tie, and Pond suggested the conditions at Highbury can be relentless regardless of which end a team is playing towards. “You can play the first half against the wind, come out for the second half and still be against it,” he said. “It goes in all directions.”
Fleetwood currently sit 18th in League Two following a defeat at Exeter last weekend, and head coach Matt Lawlor, in charge since January, is a relatively under the radar appointment compared to predecessors such as Uwe Rösler, Graham Alexander, Charlie Adam, Scott Brown and Joey Barton. Lawlor is a Fleetwood local who played non-league football for most of his career, largely at Bamber Bridge, before working his way up through Manchester United's foundation and Fleetwood's academy set up.
A club with history beyond the pitch
Fleetwood's story off the pitch has often generated as many headlines as results on it, from former owner Andrew Pilley's resignation in 2023 following a fraud conviction that saw him jailed for 13 years, to short lived international partnerships in Uzbekistan, Dubai and South Africa. Jamie Vardy remains the club's most famous former player, having played alongside Pond in the Conference Premier.
“I meet people on the street, people who know I used to play for Fleetwood,” Pond said. “The first question they ask is: ‘Did you play with Vardy?’ Even on the Vardy documentaries, Fleetwood gets a mention. He's put us in the limelight.”
Arsenal will go into the tie as overwhelming favourites, but Fleetwood's recent cup form and the unpredictable Highbury conditions mean Arteta's side will need to be switched on from the first whistle to avoid any shocks in Lancashire.
